{Book Review} Justified A Novel by Varina Denman

Justified by Varina Denman
Reviewed by Jackie Thomas
Radiant Lit Blog Tours
Genre : Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: David C. Cook
Release Date: June 1, 2015



{About the Book}
In a small Texas town ruled by gossip, Fawn Blaylock believes others are justified in condemning her untimely pregnancy. Stifled by guilt, she yearns for grace while the local football coach treats her with gentle respect.

{My Review}
Justified is the latest book in the Mended Hearts series.  You know how there are some books that you read and never think about them again? Justified wasn't like that for me.  This book stayed with me for a few days and I found myself reflecting quite a few times on what I had read.  I grew up in a small town so much of this book resonated with me.  Small towns can be wonderful communities full of love and support and at the same time there may be gossip and judgement from people who don't know the whole story.  The story is about a community that judges the main character, Fawn, for her mistakes.  My heart ached for Fawn and I could clearly imagine the judgement she felt.  Her story of forgiveness and redemption is somewhat predictable, but I really grew to love her and wanted to get to the end to find out what was going to happen.  If you are interested in small town, Christian romance I feel you will really enjoy this book.  I'm looking forward to reading the other two books in the series.

Thank you to David C. Cook Publishing Company and to Radiant Lit Blog Tours for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.


{About the Author}
Varina Denman is a native Texan who spent her high school years in a small Texas town. Now she lives near Fort Worth with her husband and her five mostly-grown children. 

Justified is available for purchase here from Amazon.com. Note: I received this book as part of the Justified  blog tour from Radiant Lit.  I received no compensation for this review and only received a copy of the book for review purposes.  Review copy provided by the publisher for review purposes. 

{Book Review} Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano

Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano
Reviewed By:  Jackie Thomas
Radiant Lit Blog Tours
Genre: Romance
Publisher: David C. Cook
Date: June 10, 2013

About The Book:
Hospitality consultant Andrea Sullivan has one last chance to snag a high-profile client or she'll have to kiss her dreams of promotion good-bye. When she's sent to meet Scottish celebrity chef James MacDonald on the Isle of Skye, she just wants to finish her work as efficiently as possible. Yet her client is not the opportunistic womanizer he portrays himself to be, and her attraction to him soon dredges up memories she'd rather leave buried. For James, renovating the family hotel is a fulfillment of his late father's dreams. When his hired consultant turns out to be beautiful, intelligent, and completely unimpressed by his public persona, he makes it his mission to win her over. He just never expects to fall under her spell.

Soon, both Andrea and James must face the reality that God may have a far different purpose for their lives—and that five days in Skye will forever change their outlook on life and love.

My Thoughts:
This was an enjoyable book that is an easy read and great to add to your summer reading list.   The characters are realistic and I enjoyed the story between Andrea and James.  I loved how Andrea and James met and its their first meeting that hooked me and I couldn't wait to see where the story went from there.  The author does a great job of describing the scenes and the landscape of Scotland and I could clearly see it all from her descriptions.  This is a romance but there is enough conflict to keep it interesting. I found myself reading quickly because I wanted to find out what was going to happen next.  This book was a joy to read and I look forward to reading more by Author Carla Laureano.

About the Author:
Carla Laureano is the author of the RITA® award-winning romance Five Days in Skye as well as London Tides and the Celtic fantasy series The Song of Seare (as C. E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons.

Five Days in Skye is available for purchase through Amazon.com.

Note: I received this book as part of the Five Days in Skye  blog tour from Radiant Lit.  I received no compensation for this review and only received a copy of the book for review purposes.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

{Book Review} London Tides by Carla Laureano

London Tides by Carla Laureano
Reviewed by Jackie Thomas
Radiant Lit Blog Tours
Genre: Romance
Publisher: David C. Cook
Date: June 1, 2015

About The Book:
Irish photojournalist Grace Brennan travels the world’s war zones documenting the helpless and forgotten. After the death of her friend and colleague, Grace is shaken.

She returns to London hoping to rekindle the spark with the only man she ever loved—Scottish businessman Ian MacDonald. But he gave up his championship rowing career and dreams of Olympic gold years ago for Grace ... only for her to choose career over him. Will life’s tides bring them back together ... or tear them apart for good this time?


My Thoughts:
I thought this book was a bit heavier than the first book Five Days in Skye.  This genre of this book is romance and inspirational fiction and is a type of book I read frequently.  The Christian storyline isn't as prominent as in other inspirational fiction and I really enjoyed that the book wasn't predictable.  I think the the author will gain readers who wouldn't normally read this type of book.   I was turning pages to find out what was going to happen between Grace and Ian and how Grace deals with her feelings about God in light of the suffering she has seen and experienced.  London Tides tackles some tough issues in this book, namely PTSD.  It's timely and many will resonate with this issue. You will enjoy this book if you like subtle Christian Fiction that delves deep into the emotions and hurt that sometimes accompany a relationship between two people who love each other.  I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series and watch for my review of Five Days in Skye in July.


About the Author:
Carla Laureano is the author of the RITA® award-winning romance Five Days in Skye as well as London Tides and the Celtic fantasy series The Song of Seare (as C. E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons.

London Tides is available for purchase from Amazon.com

Note: I received this book as part of the London Tides blog tour from Radiant Lit.  I received no compensation for this review and only received a copy of the book for review purposes.

Review copy provided by the publisher.